


Birthday

by castielnov4k



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Birthday, Bunker, Cute, Dean's Birthday, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Funny, Human Castiel, Humor, Kissing, Literal Sleeping Together, Love, Morning Cuddles, Pie, Sleepy Cuddles, Suspicious Sam, bed, sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-03-09 14:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3252941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castielnov4k/pseuds/castielnov4k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Cas celebrate Dean's 36th birthday. Dean has a secret birthday wish concerning the former angel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday

"Cas, can you do something for me?" Sam asked over his shoulder as he worked.

"Of course, Sam," Cas replied, putting down the book he had found in the library. It wasn't like the former angel had much else to do anymore.

"Are you any good at baking?" Sam inquired. "Because it would be really helpful if you could bake the cake."

"Cake?" Cas said, puzzled. "Why a cake?"

"A birthday cake," Sam explained, raising an eyebrow. "For Dean. What, you've never heard of birthday cake?"

"I am aware of the tradition," Cas replied impatiently. "I am not a moron, only socially inept. What I don't understand is why a cake, when Dean so obviously prefers pie."

"Cake, pie, what's the difference?" Sam shrugged, returning to his work. "Anyway, can you do it?"

"Dean has taught me how to cook a few things," Cas assured. "I can try."

Sam turned around again. "He taught you to cook? He never mentioned that."

"It's no big thing," Cas said. "It's just a couple times a week, usually when you're busy researching or, as he calls it, 'nerding out'."

"No, no, it's nice," Sam reassured, chuckling. Cas couldn't figure out why he sounded so amused. "The two of you, in the kitchen. Together. In close proximity. Keeping it quiet. It's all extremely normal behaviour."

Cas gave up trying to comprehend what his surrogate brother was trying to allude to and started towards the kitchen.

"Oh, and write something on top," Sam called out as he left. "A birthday message of some sort."

*

"Sam? What's all this?" Dean asked as he looked around the room, setting down the six-pack. He was surprised, but delighted.

"Happy 36th, man," Sam grinned, pulling his older brother in for a hug. "Didn't think I'd forget, did you?"

"Nah," Dean laughed, pulling away and clapping a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Well, I'll admit, I was hoping. Considering all the crap that's going on at the moment."

"There's always some kind of crap going on in our lives, Dean," Sam countered, rolling his eyes. "If you don't celebrate stuff while crap is happening, you'll never celebrate anything."

"Fair point," Dean allowed, his eyes taking in all the birthday decorations around the bunker. Streamers had been hung from wall to wall, and brightly coloured balloons were clustered in every corner. He heard "Travelling Riverside Blues" playing in the background, and felt a wave of affection.

"Is it too much?" Sam asked apprehensively.

"No Sammy," Dean rushed, in awe. "It's perfect. Thank you. Hey... what's that smell?"

"Oh," Sam said, looking towards the kitchen. "Cas's our kitchenbitch now. He baked."

"I object to that description of me," Cas called, appearing in the doorway. He saw Dean, and he started smiling. "Happy birthday, Dean."

"Thanks, buddy," Dean grinned, and he strode forwards to hug the former angel. He smelled of flour, sugar, and... was that cinnamon? "You baked?"

"Yeah," Cas said. "I made cake."

"Really?" Dean asked. "Cake? Because it smells like you made pie."

"Um, no..." Cas said, nervously casting a glance at the younger Winchester brother. "Sam told me to make cake, so that's what I did. That's all."

Dean kept looking at him suspiciously, but Cas refused to elaborate any further, so he gave up and shrugged. "Well thank you, anyway, it means a lot. To you both. This wasn't what I was expecting."

*

They broke open the case of beer, in the midst of expressing amusement at the birthday message on the cake that Cas brought out.

"'It is your birthday'?" Sam asked disbelievingly. "I said a birthday message, not a birthday statement."

"Lighten up, Sammy," Dean said, chuckling. "Our bitch baked. Be grateful."

Earning him a shove in the arm from Cas.

"There was a time when I could smite you where you stand for disrespecting me like that," Cas grumbled, taking a sip of beer.

"Yeah, well, now you can't," Dean teased, throwing an arm around him. "Shouldn't have chosen us over the heavenly host, I guess."

Cas looked at him defiantly from under his arm. Dean found the whole thing strangely adorable.

"I could still take you on if I wanted to," Cas insisted.

Dean laughed. "Sure you could, sweetie." He winced internally at the slip of his tongue, and ignored the subsequent sensation of Sam's suspicious eyes flicking to him. Cas, though, didn't notice.

"Funny, I seem to remember a certain encounter in an alleyway a few years ago," Cas argued defensively. "When I was using brute force, not angel mojo. What was it you were saying in between me kicking your ass? Oh yeah," Cas switched to a high-pitched imitation of Dean, "'Cas... please. Cas, no.'"

Dean suddenly found the former angel a lot less adorable, as Sam started laughing hysterically. "Shut up, Sam."

"I remember that night," Sam said, still cackling. "You and Cas appeared in Bobby's living room, and Cas had to carry you because you had just had it thoroughly handed to you."

Cas was fighting hard to repress his own laughter, and Dean crossed his arms.

"Let's just eat," Dean said grumpily, but with a brightness in his eyes that let them know he wasn't really pissed off.

They ate cake - really good cake as it turned out, perhaps not as good as Dean could make but fairly close - until they felt comfortably warm and sleepy, assisted in turn by the alcohol. When Sam started dozing off in his chair, Dean got up and prodded him awake, telling him to go to bed.

"You're not the boss of me," Sam muttered, stifling a yawn.

"Actually I kind of am," Dean said, gently nudging his brother into a standing position. "Older brother and all."

"Ugh," Sam complained. "You're so insufferable."

"That's my job," Dean smirked. "Now come on."

He helped his brother to his room, making sure he was comfortable before Dean closed the door behind him.

"It's like dealing with a baby when he drinks," Dean commented as he rejoined Cas, who was clearing the table. "Here, let me help you."

"Thanks," Cas smiled. "I hope you had a good birthday, in any case, Dean. I still don't quite understand the appeal of the tradition surrounding the day you were born, but nonetheless..."

"Yeah, it was awesome," Dean replied cheerfully as they carried the dishes to the kitchen. "Good job with the cake, by the way. I've taught you well."

"Really?" Cas questioned, pleased. "Thank you."

"Typical of Sam though," Dean said, chuckling. "Picking cake over pie."

"Oh. Well..." Cas said uncomfortably.

"What?" Dean pressed.

"I... didn't want to admit it in front of Sam, after he gave me express orders," Cas said vaguely, crossing the kitchen to open the oven door, and to pull out the dish that was there. "But... I had a little extra time after the cake and I thought you might appreciate this anyway."

Dean eyed the pie in Cas's hands. It was perfectly golden-brown around the edges, and warm enough that he could smell the aromas of apple and cinnamon from where he stood.

"I knew it!" Dean said, victoriously throwing a punch into the air. "I knew I could smell pie."

As full as they were, they both managed to fit in an extra slice of the pie, washed down with more alcohol from Dean's stash. Despite Cas's newfound humanity, he still seemed to have a higher tolerance of alcohol than the hunter, who was now fairly intoxicated.

"Cas, why do you make pie for me?" Dean slurred suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why have you stuck around for all this time?" Dean mumbled. "Why me? I'm not... I'm not worth your time. I'm not worth giving up heaven over. So why? Why are you here to make pie for me?"

Cas was still slightly confused, but he reached out and held Dean's hand. "Dean, don't ever believe for a second that you're not worth it. You are worth everything to me, to Sam."

Dean's eyes flicked to their hands. He looked as if he was going to say something else, but all he managed were a few unintelligible slurs.

"Come on, you should probably go to bed," Cas decided, helping Dean up like he had helped Sam before him. Dean draped himself over Cas, giggling, not making it easy to transport him to his bedroom. But eventually, they got there, and Cas eased him down into the mattress. He was about to leave when he felt fingers grasp his arm.

"Cas, it's still my birthday," Dean mentioned lightly. Cas didn't bother to inform him that his birthday had technically ceased a couple of hours ago. "And there's still something that I want."

"What, Dean?" Cas asked, leaning closer.

"You," Dean said simply. And then, he was pulling Cas down on top of him. Cas gasped in surprise as Dean pulled at his waist, until their lips met in the middle. Dean engaged him in a messy, not at all eloquent kiss, and Cas couldn't help but succumb, moaning. Dean did likewise, not bothering to be quiet about it. Dean's hands roamed freely over Cas's body, and his tongue ravaged Cas's mouth, leaving tastes of cinnamon spice and alcohol there. Cas had always imagined him to taste something like this. Then Cas's senses clicked back into action.

"Dean," Cas resisted, having to force himself put his hands against Dean's chest and push him away.

"Hmm?" Dean questioned huskily, looking up at him. His pupils were blown up so that only a thin ring of green around the outside was visible. Dean's mouth was still open, his lips glistening with moisture. The sight was irresistible, but Cas knew he had to try.

"You're drunk," Cas said softly. "We can't do this."

"But I want you," Dean protested, biting his lip. Right where Cas's lips had just been. Cas suddenly felt light-headed. "Please."

"I can't," Cas said, regretfully pulling himself off of Dean.

"Cas?" Dean called as he reached the door. Cas turned to see him propped up by his elbows, confusion and slight hurt clear in his expression. It broke his heart to see Dean look so vulnerable. "Will you... Will you stay with me at least?"

Cas hesitated for a moment, his hand lingering on the doorframe, before he conceded, nodding. He slowly crossed the room, Dean sighing in relief as he did so. Dean settled when Cas lay down next to him, and closed his eyes. After a while, Cas heard Dean's quiet snores begin to fill the room, and let them lull him to sleep.

*

Cas woke slowly, and felt a flare of panic as his eyes blinked open to the unfamiliar setting. This was not his room. Then he relaxed, remembering that he had slept in Dean's room the night before, just as his mind registered the fact that there was another body wrapped around him.

He looked over to see Dean, still fast asleep, heating Cas's body with his own. Cas was currently completely encased in Dean's arms, which had at some point during the night found their way around his torso. Their legs were intertwined lazily and somewhat messily. Dean's features were openly relaxed and content as his face pressed into the pillow. His mouth was parted slightly as he snored, something that Cas found incredibly endearing.

Then Cas's panic set in again. This was bad. This was very bad. Dean couldn't wake up to find them like this. It would ruin their friendship, something Cas never wanted to happen. He had been the less drunk one last night, he should've been the one to take charge and say no. To anything Dean was suggesting. Including this.

Oh god, Dean was going to hate him. He needed to leave. Now.

But 'how', was the question. They were so entangled that it would be exceedingly difficult for Cas to extract himself without waking Dean. The limits of humanity were relentlessly frustrating. Cas wished more than anything that he still had his angel powers, so he could disappear from the room simply with a thought.

"Cas..." he heard Dean mumble in his sleep, and Cas stiffened. Dean sighed, and his fingers fluttered momentarily against Cas's skin, but he didn't wake up. Still, he was running out of time. It was now or never.

Cas started to pull himself out of Dean's embrace, trying to work as hastily and as carefully as he could. He thought he had succeeded in extracting himself, just as Dean stirred under him and his arms suddenly tightened around Cas, pulling him right back in again. Oh no. No no no.

"Cas?" Dean groaned softly, his eyes still closed. With dread, Cas could tell he was awake this time.

"Mm?" Cas finally mumbled in reply, feeling his body flare up in anxiety.

"Are you running out on me?" Dean complained quietly, his features contracting into a sleepy frown.

"Um.. No?" Cas answered lamely.

Dean's face relaxed again at his response. His head moved from the pillow to Cas's shoulder. Cas felt Dean's stubble tickle his skin as Dean nuzzled his neck. "Awesome. Then go back to sleep. It's too early."

Cas was still on edge, but then Dean pressed his lips against the skin on Cas's neck, pretty much clinching the deal. Cas sighed, conceding, and relaxed back into Dean's arms. After a moment, he hesitantly snaked his arm around Dean's waist, and Dean made a noise of sleepy approval, snuggling closer. Cas never thought he would ever see the day that Dean Winchester would ever snuggle anything, much less him. Cas felt himself calm down, assured in the knowledge that sober or not, Dean wanted him here. He had no idea what this meant for them now, for their friendship, for their bond. But Dean was right; it was too early.

So instead of doing or saying anything monumental, Cas just whispered, "Happy Birthday, Dean," and let his eyes close again. Just before Cas slipped back into unconsciousness, he felt Dean smile into his neck.

"Best birthday ever."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday for the 24th, Dean Winchester. Thanks for being you. Here's hoping your 36th year will be the year you find happiness with Cas.


End file.
